NEW YORK (WCBS 880) — New York City’s Department of Education has granted around 500 COVID-19 vaccine exemptions to school staffers in the five boroughs.
A DOE spokesperson confirmed to WCBS 880 that the exemptions are for medical and religious reasons. However, it was not clear how many of each were granted.
Applications for exemptions were due earlier this week. The COVID-19 vaccine mandate takes effect Monday, when all DOE staffers must have received at least one dose of a vaccine.
Michael Mulgrew, the president of the United Teachers Federation, spoke with WCBS 880 saying the deadline is horrible timing and leaves schools at risk for a staffing shortage.
“Monday night, at midnight, a school finds out that it's missing X number of staff and the school cannot get enough people in the following day and then, the school is put into a horrendous situation,” he said.
Related
Mulgrew noted schools will likely be forced to place multiple classes in their auditoriums while they deal with getting enough staff.
He is continuing to push for the vaccination deadline to be pushed forward.
“Why not wait till Friday and give every school a list [and say,] ‘Saturday morning, guess what? You have this many openings. We have the weekend, let's all work together to make that happen,’” he said.
Related
Mark Cannizzaro, who heads the principal’s union, is in agreement. He’s mostly worried about what Tuesday morning will look like if the city does not push the deadline.
“I've heard from several schools that have anywhere between 30 and 100 people currently on their non-compliant list,” he said.
Though vaccination rates are above 90% in schools, according to the union leaders, those who remain unvaccinated past Monday will be unable to work for the DOE. Reports say as many as 10,000 teachers may still be unvaccinated.